30DaysSober
by Mizxmacmanus
Summary: Bethyl Au Merle got a court order to attend A. A. meetings, so to avoid his brother from getting jail time Daryl attends the meetings with him. He meets a beautiful blonde there with her father, and has a whole new reason to go.
1. Chapter 1

"This is Bullshit, Little Brother." Merle Dixon grumbled as he took a long drag from his smoke. Him and his younger brother, Daryl, were standing outside what was a church of some religion neither brothers cared to know. "Court Order, my ass. I wasn' even that drunk!"

"Just be fuckin' happy that Judge took pity on you. Beats going to jail again." Daryl growled out, smoking his own smoke. The two werent the only ones there who lit up a cigarette before the meeting started, surrounded by several people, and it kinda took the younger Dixon by surprise by how many people there were. "The sooner you get this done, the sooner we can stop coming."

"I don' need this shit." Merle grumbled, as he dropped his smoke. His grey blue eyes darted around, before smirking to the younger brother. "I'll be right back, little brother. Gotta run to the truck real fast."

Daryl rolled his eyes as the older Dixon hurried off. It had just gotten dark out, so Merle just seemed to disappear. He knew what he was going to do, get loaded before an A.A. meeting. The judge should've sent Merle to jail, would have cleaned him up for a while. There wasn't much he could do though, Merle was going to do what Merle wants to do.

"I'll meet you in there, Daddy." Daryl heard a young voice speak up suddenly next to him. It almost made him jump not realizing there he was the closest to the walkway toward the front door. It belonged to a young blonde no older than nineteen, twenty. The older man she had spoken too only nodded and continued inside, as she fished inside her purse. "Do you have a light, sir?"

They made eye contact, and Daryl was taken back by how pretty her eyes were. Prettiest set of eyes he had seen on a girl. She had a cigarette between her fingers, his favorite brand too. Pulling out his lighter, he lit her smoke and she took a deep drag clearly enjoying the feel of the nicotine. She flashed him a friendly smile.

"Thank you." She nodded moving from the group of people, standing away from the other smokers. She kept glancing toward him, her bright blue eyes brighter than his own blues.

Merle showed back up as everyone was entering the building, completely loaded to the brim. Daryl rolled his eyes as he pushed his brother toward the doors. He stayed there for a moment, watching the young woman finishing her smoke, before heading in after his brother. She followed in shortly after.

The meeting went well enough, Merle actually was on his best behavior. It almost impressed Daryl, had he not known his brother was only putting on an act, trying to impress one of the women in the meeting. He had laid it on thick even almost pulling tears. The young woman didn't speak, but the older gentlement she was with did. It was the only person Daryl cared to listen to.

His name was Hershel. He had recently lost his wife to cancer and felt himself going back toward the bottle. He had been sober for almost twenty-five years, and didn't want to fall to temptation. The young blonde must have been his daughter, Daryl guessed, as he continued to glance toward the young woman. He couldn't deny the woman wasn't pretty, her blonde hair up in a messy clip, a messy braid graced the side of her head as it went into a clip.

She was wearing clean faded skinny jeans, a overlarge sweater that fell off one of her shoulders, with a pair of old faded boots. She looked innocent, too innocent to be out there smoking with the rest of them. When it was over, her father had started conversation with the pastor who was leading the meeting that night, while she hurried out for a smoke like the rest of them.

She had asked him once more for a light, smiling to him like they were old friends. He lit her smoke for her, and she took a drag. Blowing the smoke out, the blonde smiled her thanks before turning and walking out into the parking lot. Daryl couldn't help but watch her hips sway as she walked away. A smirk met his lips as he continued to smoke his own smoke.

**

She was at the next meeting a few days later with her father, just like how he was there with Merle. Just like a few days earlier, the blonde was outside away from the group smoking. This time she had her own lighter, shooting glances back toward him once more. He smiled as he took tossed his smoke onto the ground and headed in with Merle.

Pouring himself the coffee that was offered to them, he realized she had followed him in, meeting up with her father. Daryl watched her as he took a sip of the coffee, causing him to make a face. The coffee was disgusting, but there wasn't much else offered besides water. The meeting started and ended like it always had. Merle hammed it up, earning the girls number he was trying for.

It was getting harder for Daryl to pay attention to what everyone was saying since the blonde and her father sat closer to the Dixon brothers. She had caught him looking at him several times, only shooting him a friendly smile. Her hair was up in a high ponytail that night, with several braids stringing through. This time she was in a simple baby blue sundress with her worn boots.

She was playing with a necklace on her neck, paying close attention when Hershel went up to the podium to speak. Daryl could see the small smile on her face, a face of pride, proud of the man went to speak. Daryl liked seeing that smile, liked seeing someone was there for support like he was. The blonde turned that smile toward him, and he looked away.

He headed outside once it was over and lit a smoke as soon as the cool spring air hit his face. Moving out toward the parking lot, Daryl stood waiting for Merle to emerge out of the church, probably with the girl he was suckering in tow. Blowing the hot smoke out, he turned to look back toward the church, only to find her standing there.

"My lighter died." She smiled an innocent smile, making Daryl wonder if she was telling the truth or not. Ligting her smoke for her, Daryl watched as the young woman inhaled the harsh smoke into her lungs. He watched as she looked up at him toward him, the same smile still on her face. "I see ain't the only one here to show support."

"Mine's more like makin' sure that dumbass shows up." Daryl shrugged, looking down at his own smoke. His hair was in his eyes, shielding his blues from hers. "Daryl."

"Beth. I'm Hershel's daughter." She smiled, her free hand was playing at her necklace. She looked almost shy.

"I'm here for Merle." Daryl ashed his smoke onto the ground, before taking a lond drag.

"He looks like he wants to be here." Beth giggled, and Daryl only shrugged. "You know it's still nice of you to come with him. Not many people here have someone who cares."

"Yea, I guess." Daryl shrugged, a part of him knew that not everyone there had someone to support them in this. Merle had better feel lucky in Daryl's opinion. "It's nice of you to support your dad."

"After Mama died, I guess I needed this just as much as daddy did." Beth shrugged, before tossing her butt to the ground. She used her boot to stomp out the embers. Daryl took notice to her shoulders, creamy and near flawless.

"I'm sorry about your Ma." Daryl stomped out his own smoke, and Beth only smiled.

"See you at the next meeting." Beth didn't give him time to reply, she just walked away, leaving Daryl to watch her leave.

"Lets go, baby brother." Merle called toward him, tearing his gaze from the young woman leaving. "I wanna get the fuck out of here."

"Yea, yea I'm comin'." Daryl said quietly more to himself, as he walked the opposite directions of where she went. He kept turning back toward to see she had stopped to look back, sending him a sweet smile which he returned.

"Lets get out of here, baby brother, I need to get lit." Merle laughed as the younger brother slipped into the drivers side. "Sure, need it after listening to this shit tonight."

"Don' you have any damn respect?" Daryl snapped, ignoring his brother's stupidity and rediculous need to drink. Even if Merle didn't take A.A. seriously, Daryl looked forward to the next meeting. To see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next few weeks, Daryl was able to remember exactly how Beth had her hair or the clothes she wore. At a few of the meetings it would only be Hershel, while those nights he chooses to not speak. Then there were times where it was only her, and these nights she would sit closer to the brothers than normal. She wouldn't stand out and smoke after the meetings anymore, instead lighting her smoke on the way to her car.

Merle had moved on to a new conquest, a younger woman who just started attending. Daryl would watch in disgust when he would watch his brother, loaded off of whatever he was using at the time, laying on his sob routine on thick. It amazed him how much these women ate up the bullshit his brother was spewing to get into their pants. It helped the nights she was there though, helped distract him from watching Merle make an idiot of himself.

That night she showed up by herself, a smoke already between her lips as she drove up. Daryl stood away from the group of people, and watched as she slipped out of the old Ford she was driving. Her hair was down that night in loose waves cascading down her back. She wore acid washed skinny jeans, with a black crop top along with her worn boots. Those boots looked good with anything the girl wore it seemed, or at least she made them look good in the older man's opinion.

Taking a deep inhale of his smoke, Daryl watched her as she made her way up to the building. Catching her gaze, Daryl smirked as she flashed him a small smile dropping the butt of her smoke in the process. She surprised him as she pulled another one out of her purse, lighting it as she walked up toward him.

"No dad tonight?" Daryl asked as she stopped next to him, lighting another smoke to join him shook her head, Daryl noticing her lips were stained a light shade of pink.

"Got an emergency call from one of his patient's owners, he's unable to make it." Beth shrugged, and Daryl looked down at his smoke, rolling the filter between his fingers.

"Didn' have plans tonight?" He always wondered why she would show up alone to the meetings when Hershel wasn't attending. Her big doe eyes stared at him carefully as she flicked the ash from her smoke.

"These were my plans." She licked at her bottom lip, her voice a little tight. She looked down at her smoke, the blush she was fighting started showing through. "My life sounds so exciting I know. I mean I am sure if I wasn' here I'd be studying."

"I'd sittin' home doin' nothing if I wasn' here." Daryl shrugged, noticing that everyone was heading inside. Merle had long followed his conquest in a few minutes after they had got there, leaving the younger Dixon to smoke alone. "You wanna sit with us tonight since your dad ain't here?"

Beth dropped her half smoked cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out. She was silent a moment, causing Daryl to start to think she was going to reject him when she looked up and smiled, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear as she replied. "Yea, I would like that."

The two were the last to enter the room, finding their seats in the back next to Merle. There were a few new faces to the group, several getting the courage to come up and speak. Daryl kept looking at the blonde woman next to him from the corner of his eyes, and was able to see she had a proud look on her face. It was clear she was proud of every single person who spoke that night, not caring she didn't know who they were or what they have done in their life. It only made her more interesting and beautiful to Daryl.

He couldn't concentrate on the meeting worth his life though with her standing there. She wasn't just beautiful; she had a good heart that was something Daryl didn't see often in the people he had always been around. She really cared about others and their struggles. Daryl wanted to see deeper than that, he wanted to know everything he could about the beautiful woman. Playing with her necklace like she always had, Beth turned her head to smile at him softly, and it only made him want to more.

"Thank you for lettin' me sit with you tonight." Beth said with a smile as the two walked out of the church when it was over, Merle in tow. The two lit their smokes at the same time, earning a blush from the young woman.

"It's ain't a problem." Daryl shrugged, glancing toward Merle lighting his own smoke as he sauntered over to the brunette he was trying to screw. The two stood in silence as they enjoyed their smokes.

"Hey what are you doing right now?" Beth suddenly asked, taking a long drag. Daryl only stared at her, clearly taken back by the sudden question. "I was only askin' cause I'm kinda in the mood for some ice cream. And was wondering possibly if you might have wanted to get some with me. I know this great ice cream place that stays open late on Dewey. I know it must sound weird, a strange girl from A. A. asking you out."

Daryl was quiet a moment, trying to not seem too eager to tell her yes as he flicked the butt of his smoke away from him. He looked over his shoulder toward Merle who looked was busy talking to the brunette. Blowing the smoke out he was holding in, Daryl shrugged. "Hell why not? Give me a minute."

Daryl held his finger up motioning for her to hold on as he hurried toward Merle. He was completely engrossed in conversation with the woman, who was clearly soaking up whatever Merle was telling her. Slapping his brother's arm to get his attention, Merle turned to look at the younger Dixon. Nodding his head to the side, telling him he wanted to speak to him alone.

"One moment sweetheart." Merle moved away from the woman and followed his brother a foot or two away. "Can' you see I'm workin' somethin' here?"

"Yea sure. Bring her home, and then I'll believe you." Daryl growled as he shook his head, dropping his keys into Merle's hand. "I got a different ride. Take the truck."

"You leaving with someone?" Merle asked in disbelief, looking around. He caught sight of the blonde standing on the sidewalk watching the two talk while waiting for Daryl. "Oh, Blondie over there? Knew you liked 'em young."

"Fuck you, I'll be home later." Daryl growled turning back toward the young woman, walking away from the older Dixon. Beth's eyes lit up when he approached, his thumb finding its way between his teeth. "You mind drivin'? Gave my brother the keys to my truck so he could get home."

"Sure no problem." Beth smiled as she led him toward the truck, her hips swaying slightly. He couldn't help but drift his eyes toward her small round ass making him wonder if she was doing that on purpose.

Unlocking the truck, Daryl slipped into the passenger side as Beth hopped into the drivers side. Daryl sat nervously in the passengers seat as the engine roared to life. Janis Joplin started to blast through the speakers while Beth sped out of the parking place, and zoomed out of the parking lot. The older man was kind of terrified by the younger woman's driving, as she sped down the road humming to the music.

"You like Janis?" Beth asked suddenly glancing over toward the older man before returning her gaze back to the road.

"My mom use to play her all the time when I was a kid." Daryl never spoke of his mom to anyone, not even to Merle and here he was just casually mentioning to her.

"Your mama had good taste in music." Beth smiled softly, as she turned into a small dirt lot next to a small set of building. She hadn't been kidding when she had said it was down the road, but Daryl was sure from her driving they had gotten there sooner than they should have. Slipping out of the truck, the blonde's eyes looked up at the man's face innocently. "Sorry, if my drivin' scared ya. Daddy hates when I drive, says he shouldn' have left my sister in charge of teachin' me."

Daryl only shrugged trying his best to not lose himself in those pools of blue of hers. Beth took this as a good sign before grabbing his wrist leading him into the small ice cream parlor. Her touch burned, and Daryl had to fight to keep from yanking his hand away. One thing he hated the most was to be touched, but the young woman holding onto his wrist wasn't aware of it and he wasn't wanting to be a dick toward her by pulling away. The last thing he wanted was to scare her away, to regret asking him out.

"What you havin'? My treat." Beth's voice was bubbly, almost as if she became a little kid again in that ice cream parlor. Daryl only glanced at her as he looked up at the menus, Beth's hand finally releasing his wrist. "I normally get one of their specialty ice creams. Peanut butter crunch blast."

Daryl scanned the board, never hearing of most of the flavors they had on the board. How many flavors do people need to choose from? Moving his eyes over to the specialty ice cream menu, Daryl could see the kind Beth liked. Reading the ingredients on each kind he pointed at one of the items posted on the menu, his voice rough as he spoke. "I'll get the Strawberry Jam Attack."

The words sounded silly as they left his mouth, casting a quick glance toward the young woman. Was she blushing? Before Daryl could ask her, a teenage boy at least eighteen showed up on the other side of the counter to get their orders. Beth was quick to give the kid their order, and the boy went to work to prepare their ice cream. While Beth watched him work, Daryl watched her carefully through the hair falling over his eyes. Taking a mental image of how she looked that night to remember when he couldn't sleep at night.

"Here you go." Beth's voice broke his train of thought as she handed him a large paper bowl. It was strawberry ice cream with strawberry jam, and syrup poured all over it, and vanilla wafers crush up into it. Daryl suddenly felt really silly for ordering it, even if it looked really good.

Leading her to a table, Daryl used his free hand to pull out a chair for her. The young blonde smiled as she took a seat while he sat across from her, and finally got a good look at her own ice cream. It was vanilla and chocolate ice cream with peanut butter mix into it, chocolate syrup and crushed peanuts nearly covering the whole thing. It would have looked good to him had he liked peanuts.

"Thank you." Daryl spoke as he took a bite of his ice cream, allowing it to melt into his mouth. It wasn't only topped with jam but it was mixed into it, and he felt even more in heaven then he already was with the beautiful girl across from him.

"It's no problem. Me and daddy sometimes gets it after the meetings, and I didn' wanna get it alone this time." Beth waved her hand toward him, her lips still stained pink as she kept the same smile she had since the meeting. "You looked like you needed some ice cream too. Your brother seems like a full time job."

"You can say that again." Daryl grunted, looking down toward his ice cream. He could feel her gaze on him as he shoved a big spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, and he instantly regretted it. He fought to keep from making a face as his felt a brain freeze coming on, Beth's soft giggles meeting his ears.

"Too much?" Beth asked as she continued to giggle at the older man. He tossed her one of his lopsided grins that was already being returned even through the pain in his head. "What is it you do?"

"I work construction. Carpentry. Been doing it for a few years now." Daryl started to take smaller bits of his ice cream. He had originally gotten the job after growing tired of drifting with Merle from place to place, winding up falling in love with the trade since it was something he was good at. "Makes pretty okay money. What about you?"

"I'm a musician. Well, college student actually." Beth finally broke her gaze away from him and to her ice cream. "Music Major. Or as my brother likes to put it 'broke artist'."

"So you wanna make music?"

"I write it more than sing it. I wanna produce music mostly." Her blush made its way back to her cheeks as she pulled a flyer from her overly large purse she carried with her. Taking the flyer, Daryl read over the contents finding it was for a small show at a random bar a town over. "It ain't til the end of the month, but I got the flyers today. Maybe you'd like to come listen to me play. Its my friend's band that's playing mainly that night, they have me open for them whenever they can."

Daryl's eyes went straight for her name. Greene, her last name was Greene. Beth Greene, Daryl played her name over and over in his head getting use to her last name. There pictures of all the performers for that night, and Beth's picture was toward the bottom. She was on a stage in it, her focus on playing a guitar. Even with the picture badly printed, Daryl couldn't help but think she still looked beautiful in it.

"Yea, I'll go." Daryl spoke finally, and her eyes lit up even more as her smile widened.

"Really? oh my God, that would be awesome." Beth couldn't contain her excitement as she scooped some of the melting ice cream in her mouth. Daryl gave her a small smile and looked back down to his own bowl. "You hunt?"

"How did you know?" Daryl watched the younger woman as she paid attention to her ice cream.

"I know now." Beth giggled earning a blush from the hunter. "I had three questions set up in my head and I just picked one. I was just trying to make conversation. I didn' think I'd get it right on the first question I chose."

"Me and Merle hunt together." Daryl was surprised by how interested she was in what he had to say. He wasn't use to people taking interest in him and what he was about. Normally it was Merle everyone wanted to get to know, not him. "We been doin' it since we could learn to shoot. Got my first crossbow at three, my ol' man use to do take us out for days on end during summer. Wouldn' come back until we caught enough to feed for us for a while."

"Does he still go huntin' with you guys?"

"Nah, he passed when I was sixteen." Daryl shook his head, his voice was a little tight, like he didn't want to get into the conversation with her about his father. "Been jus' me and Merle since."

"What about your mom?"

"Died when I was six." This wasn't what Daryl wanted to talk about while enjoying ice cream with this beautiful young woman. He didn't want to talk about himself; he wanted to learn everything he could about her.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry." Beth's smile saddened slightly as she reached for his hand. Daryl stiffened as she grabbed his hand, her pale skin glowing against his dark dirty skin. She had a thick leather cuff bracelet covering her wrist; it had permanent marker designs all over it. He had noticed that every time he saw her, she would be wearing the bracelet on the same wrist.

"Don' be, it happened long ago." Daryl liked watching her bite at her bottom lip, lost in thought.

"How old are you?" Beth tilted her head, finally speaking after a few minutes of silence.

"Uh, I.. I'm thirty-five." Daryl coughed, scratching the back of his head. His thumb found its way between his teeth, chewing on it. "You?"

"Nineteen." Beth didn't seem to be bothered at all by his age as she went back to the ice cream. They were silent for a moment, Daryl watching the little things she did like how she play with her ice cream before finally taking a bite or her eyes grew distant as if she was somewhere else. Her eyes would look sad for a moment, before she would snap out of it quickly a bright smile. "You sure don' look it."

"Nah?" Daryl grunted the question, studying her carefully. There was something underneath all the brightness and sweetness; he was able to see it hiding. It was more than just her losing her mother, but she hid it so well Daryl wasn't able to figure out what it was.

"I just thought you were like my sister's fiancé's age."

"And how old is he?"

"Twenty-eight?" It sounded more like a question than a reply. This caused Daryl to chuckle at her, finding she looked cute with her blue eyes big now suddenly unsure of what she was saying.

"Well ain't you sweet." Daryl replied, a small smile on his face. He twisted his spoon in the half eaten bowl, noticing she was looking at the smile he was wearing when her phone went off. She held her finger up as she fished for her phone in her large satchel.

"Hey daddy." Beth spoke into the receiver when she answered. She bit at her bottom lip as she listened to what her father was saying on the other end. "I'm out getting ice cream with one of the people from the meeting." She was silent for a while not looking at the younger Dixon, her face cringed suddenly. "Daddy, I'm okay. He's the one who comes to support his brot-" Daryl watched her carefully, as she sighed. He was able to tell she was slightly getting annoyed, figuring her father wasn't wanting her around someone she met at A. A. "I'll be home soon. Love you too daddy."

"Time to go I guess?" Daryl asked as she hung up. He was enjoying himself talking to her, feeling oddly comfortably with her to share things he wouldn't share with a person he knew for years, so disappointment rushed through him as she nodded, looking disappointed herself.

"Yea, Daddy wants me home. C'mon let's get you home." Beth stood and Daryl followed suit. Tossing the half eaten bowls of ice cream into the trash, Daryl followed her out as she lit two cigarettes in her mouth. Handing him one of them, Daryl took it in surprise. Beth blew the nicotine smoke out, smirking. "You looked kinda low."

"Thanks." Daryl grunted as his lips wrapped around the filter, thinking about how her lips were just around it. He wondered what her lips tasted like as he walked next to her slowly toward her truck, a comfortably silence meeting them. The blonde next to him, was staring ahead of them lost in thought once more.

"Where you wanna be dropped off?" Beth asked jumping into the drivers seat, starting the truck up as Daryl took his place on the passenger side. He gave her the directions while she put the truck into reverse and zoomed backwards. Speeding out of the dirt lot, Daryl wondered how the hell this girl even got her license in the first place as he nervously smoked his cigarette. Janis was still blasting through the speakers. "So how long is the judge having Merle go to these meetings?"

"Six months.. How did you know he was ordered by a judge?" Daryl stared at the girl, who only giggled as she shot him a quick look before looking back to the road. Her laugh was nice, it was comforting, and she continued to amaze him how she could figure things out about him so well.

"Please, you really think I would believe he would willingly go to those meetings if he wasn' forced to? Most of those people are there 'cause they have to be. Your brother just is a little more obvious to me than others." Beth shrugged as she took a sharp left that lead to the more rougher parts of town, her voice speaking matter-of-factly. Daryl only watched her carefully, putting his smoke out in the ashtray, wondering how she could be so wise and mature for her age. Another sharp left leading into a small neighborhood with a few run down houses spaced out between large clusters of trees. "And then there are the ones who want to win that battle and choose to be there. Some can do it and some can' or won', but they all still go. Choice or no choice."

Daryl sat there speechless, not realizing the young blonde had pulled up to the last house on the road. It was a small three bedroom house with a garage, and the best looking one out of all the houses. It was still falling apart, even with Daryl slowly fixing it up, but he was a proud owner of it. It was his home. He took notice the blonde was looking at the place, and Daryl started to chew his thumb. Looking back and forth from the house to her. "I'm still fixin' her up. Should have seen it when I bought it, damn near had to condemn the place."

"It looks very welcoming." Beth spoke softly, flashing him a soft smile. "See you at the next meeting?"

"You know it." Daryl chuckled, as he hopped out of the truck. He turned to look at her before closing the door. "Thank you for the ice cream, and I look forward to your gig. Maybe we can get some coffee next time?"

"If my dad ain't with me, yea. Hey let me see that flyer I gave you." Beth stuck out her hand, her fingers doing the grabby motion that she made look adorable. Daryl pulled out the folded flyer and handed it to her while she pulled a pen from her purse. She opened up the flyer and jotted something down real fast before folding it back up. She handed it back to him, a sneaky smile on her face. "Do me a favor, and don' open that til after the next meeting."

"A'right." Daryl chuckled, fighting the urge to read what she wrote down. "You drive safe, and have a good night."

"You too, _Mr. Dixon_." There was laughter in her voice, as the hunter shut the door to the truck. Taking a sharp uturn, the old Ford sped off leaving him to watch her tail lights get smaller.

Turning back toward the small home, Daryl noticed his truck wasn't in the drive causing him to groan. Merle wasn't home, probably at the bar, with his truck and would most likely be home before dawn if he came home at all. The younger Dixon sure hoped his brother wasn't going off on another bender, especially with his truck. Even though he could easily take Merle's Triumph to work, Daryl still didn't like the idea of Merle being out there with his truck that he worked very hard on and for. Making his way into the small house, he was greeted by a small blue eyed white cat and a hyper blue nose pit, both ecstatic that he was home. A huge smile spread across his face as he quickly scratched the dog's head, before scooping the cat into his arms. She meowed in surprise before settling into his arms purring happily.

"You guys hungry?" Daryl allowed his voice to go soft and babyish as he talked to his two pets. The dog barked happily following his master into the small kitchen. Setting the cat onto the counter, Daryl made his way to the large cabinet to retrieve their food. After filling their both their dishes with their food he moved toward the fridge to pull out a beer. Opening it, the younger Dixon felt bad for a moment for drinking alcohol after a meeting, but he wasn't planning to go any further than that one while he got ready to settle in for the night. The folded flyer tucked neatly away in his wallet.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'd like to thank everyone for reading this, and following! I would have updated sooner, but I have posted a few other fics onto archive of our own that I have been working on updating. If you're interested in them, my screennames are the same...oh and hey! so is my tumblr :) follow me there for more updates if you like. **

**I'd love to give a huge special thanks to Carolina, my wonderful Beta, as well as the person to give me this idea of a story. 3 you rock girlie :)**

* * *

The Greene Family farm came into view as Beth sped down the dirt road. It had just been her and her father since her mother had passed, and now it was too big for Hershel to live alone in. Beth had several chances to move out after she had turned eighteen, but after her mother passed she found herself staying. Parking in her spot next to her fathers red suburban, Beth shut the engine off and got out of the truck.

Making her way up to the large house, she could see the lower level all lit up, showing her father was still awake. Making her way up the steps, Beth stopped at the front door staring at the screen for a moment before heading in. She made it straight for the staircase, hoping her father wouldn't stop her to give her the third degree.

"Beth." Hershel's voice met her ears before she could get past the second step. Turning to look at her father, she forced a smile seeing in his features that he was in the need to talk to her. "Can I see you a moment?"

Beth didn't think to argue; only doing as her father asked of her. She walked with him into the living room. Turning to look at him, she could tell he was trying to catch any unwanted smells on her breath.

"I wasn' drinkin' dad." Beth sighed, backing away crossing her arms. She hated that her father was doing this to her. "The guy I went with doesn't even need the meetings, its his brother who does. I think he knows better than to invite someone from A. A. to go get a drink."

"I don't care if he's a pastor of a church. I don' want you goin' anywhere with people you meet from those meetings." The two stared each other down. "You aren't goin' to those meetings to go and meet people. You are there for a reason."

"Daddy, we were just gettin' ice cream. I didn' see anything wrong with it." Beth argued, crossing her arms watching her father. "And you can' ban me from them meetings. You know I need them just as much as you."

"You aren't to ever speak to that man again, you hear me?" Hershel spoke as he turned away, clearly not going to give her any doubt. "You aren't goin' to make friends. Neither am I. I won't be missin' any of the next meetings either."

"Daddy, I am nineteen years old." Beth tried to argue, but her father wasn't having it. He held his hand up to silence her, turning the blue eyes she had inherited from him.

"I don't care if you're thirty." Hershel spoke and Beth looked away. "I am sure this man is a fine young gentlemen, but I don' want anything to happen to you. And I don' know this man, nor can I trust him with my daughter. I don't have anything against any of the people at those meetings, but not to be around my daughter. So I don' want you talkin' to him again ya hear?"

"You can' always tell me what I can and can' do forever." Beth growled as she walked out of the room, not giving him a chance to try and argue back.

"As long as you live under my roof, you will be living by the laws I give you." Hershel didn't want to have to raise his voice, but Beth wasn't giving him much choice in the matter. Beth was already up the stairs, before Hershel could say anything more.

Slamming her door shut, Beth let out an annoyed sound as she dropped her satchel onto the growing pile of clothes next to the door. The walls were covered, wall to wall in posters of bands from many different eras in music, along with a keyboard piano with two guitars propped up next to it. Her laptop was laying on her dark green sheets, a small gray and white kitten was sleeping soundly on one of her pillows, ignoring all the commotion going on around it. Shaking her head to try, understanding that her father was only being protective of her, but sometimes it gets too much.

Daryl didn't seem bad at all. He sounded like he had his shit together, with a good job and his own home. It didn't help that he was amazingly good looking, and his slight shy nature just made him even more gorgeous. Biting her bottom lip, Beth smiled as she flopped onto her bed, kicking off her boots in the process. The small kitten suddenly woke and meowed loudly at the blonde. Turning to smile brightly at the kitten, she scratched its head while it continued to meow at her.

"Well hello to you too, Ms. Greeley." Beth giggled as the kitten got up from her place to get closer to her owner. Her father had surprised her and her mother with the kitten a week before she had passed. Greeley was meant to brighten everyone's spirits, and give them more time with the late Greene mother. She had done the trick giving Annette Greene enough spirit to be able to move around and give her the last burst of energy for about a week. There hadn't been a moment where you hadn't seen Annette playing with the small kitten that week, and a smile never leaving her face. It was the best week they ever had in a long time, before Annette passed suddenly; losing the battle to breast cancer.

The kitten arched her back as Beth's hands ran down the smooth shower fur, her green eyes staring up happily, her meows only continuing. As if she was telling her about her day. Beth started a playful banter with the kitten, pretending to argue with the kitten as she got ready for bed. The kitten had quickly washed away her annoyance for her father, and brought a smile back to her face.

The next meeting Beth didn't stand outside to smoke with Daryl, Hershel had ushered her in as soon as they had gotten there. It confused Daryl, wondering if he had done something wrong. All through the meeting Hershel kept shooting stares toward the younger Dixon, catching him several times looking at Beth. The hunter learned quick to not look toward the young blonde, who looked very much annoyed by her father's actions. Her hair was up in a sloppy high pony, as if she hadn't bothered brushing it before pulling it up, with a loose fitting black tank top and torn skinny jeans. He liked how simple she looked that night, made it easier for him to memorize the way she looked.

The young brunette had convinced Merle to speak to the group of a horror story during his 'drinking days'. It took Daryl everything to not snort when the story that Merle was telling was from the previous night, leaving the younger brother to find him upside down on the couch with bottles all around him and coke covering his nose the next morning. Daryl shook his head, hoping that no one was fooled by his pitiful side he tried to put on to get more attention from whoever he was trying to fool. Shooting a glance from the corner of his eye, he caught Hershel had turned his attention to Merle as he spoke. Beth was taking the chance to look over toward the younger Dixon, her eyes silently apologizing for her father's actions.

Daryl chanced a small smile her way, and managed to look away when Hershel turned to look toward his daughter. It wasn't until half way through the meeting the two gave up trying to catch each other's glances anymore since her father wouldn't allow her. Made Daryl feel like a teenager again, not the grown man he was. He didn't blame the man for not wanting some guy making eyes at his young daughter, especially one as beautiful as Beth. It would make him feel terrible though if her father had forbidden her to speak to him, since he wasn't intending to get her in trouble.

As soon as the meeting was over Daryl rushed out of the building, a cigarette already between his lips. Hershel's stares were getting too much for the hunter, and it made him desperate for a smoke. Blowing the smoke out he headed out toward the sidewalk, waiting for Merle to follow out soon.

"You still have the flyer?" Daryl jumped as the sound of her voice, not expecting her to be standing there. He nodded as he watched her keep glancing toward the doors to the church. Watching for Hershel. "Open the flyer after you see us leave. Talk to you later hopefully."

"A'right." Daryl nodded and Beth hurried out into the parking lot, chancing a quick glance, a bright smile on her face and shot him a wink. Daryl smirked toward the young blonde who had looked away quickly. Hershel was standing next to Daryl, staring at the man with the same color blue eyes as his daughters; it was unsettling for Daryl to be looking into the same eyes but on the older man.

"You must be Daryl." Hershel spoke, and Daryl nodded as Hershel stuck out his hand. Daryl took the older man's hand and shook it firmly. "I am Hershel."

"Nice to meet you sir."

"I am not sure what she has told you or anything like that, but I'd steer clear of my daughter. She is young, and may not be the girl you think she is." Hershel spoke calmly before nodding his good night and walked toward the truck. Beth had been standing there nervously, as she watched the exchange between her father and the hunter.

Daryl allowed the words to sink in as the two left the parking lot, when Merle let out a loud belch next to him. "Come on, baby brother. Looks like I ain't gettin' lucky tonight."

"You ain't gonna get lucky at all." Daryl retorted as the two made their way to his truck. A frown met his lips, as he caught sight of a terrible indent on his passenger door that Merle had put there after driving home from the bar. After that night, Merle was no longer allowed to take Daryl's truck under any circumstances. "You think all that bullshit is going to work on these girls, it ain't. Most don't seem trashy enough for you."

"At least I don' go for the youngest alcoholic here." Merle retorted back as the two jumped into the truck. Daryl only stared at Merle, putting the keys into the ignition. Beth was there as support like he was, at least that was what she told him. Merle must have found Daryl's look of disbelief hilarious cause he started cracking up. "You know little brother, after being around drunks your whole night you'd think that you can point them out like a pro."

"She's here to support her dad." Daryl replied and Merle only shook his head still laughing.

"If you say so little brother, but trust me, that girl likes her booze." Merle had to have the last comment, as the two drove back to Daryl's in silence. Merle was only trying to get a rise out of him, Daryl decided, and chose to ignore Hershel's words. He didn't care if she had hidden demons, everyone had demons in them. Pulling into the driveway, Merle was already out of the truck before he could cut the engine and was making his way to his bike. "I'll be back later, Little Brother, I got blue balls and I need them taken care of."

Daryl didn't say anything as Merle started his bike and took off. He had given up trying to keep the wild Dixon to stay home and cut back, since it would definitely be jail time if he was arrested under the influence of anything that time. It made Daryl hope and dread a random drug test for his brother soon, because it was clear he would fail miserable and be on a bus to the nearest prison. Probably for a long while this time around if he got the same judge who took pity on him. Daryl's pets were waiting impatiently on the other side of the front door while he unlocked the door. The pit started to cry happily, his tail wagging wildly not giving the cat any chance for attention, jumping against Daryl as he shut the front door. This caused the hunter to laugh as he crouched down to give the muscular dog attention, noticing a scratch on the dogs nose.

"You miss me, Rosco buddy? Huh, big boy? Looks like you pissed Sugar off again." Sugar sat a ways away, her blue eyes watching the two carefully, sending death glares to the overly excited pit. Finally standing, Daryl hurried over to pick the white cat into his arms. She meowed softly, before sniffing his nose as her hello. "Did that mean ol' dog make you mad, Sugar Plum? You fucked his nose up pretty good."

The cat only meowed while Daryl made his way into the kitchen to feed them as well as make himself some dinner. It relieved him that he didn't have to make dinner for an extra person that night while he pulled out a large piece of deer meat he was saving for himself from the freezer. Tossing it into a bowl in the sink, Daryl made his way to the living room, he started to unload his pockets of all the pointless junk he always carried with him. Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he pulled the folded flyer from its fold before tossing it next to his cell phone. Opening the flyer, a smile spread across his face.

_**"The whole world can change in a minute."**_

_**555-0254**_

_**Call me or text me sometime. :)** _

He wondered what the passage she wrote had meant, but he was too fixated on her number. He had a feeling it was her phone number in the flyer, but he waited to find out like she had wanted him to. Grabbing his cell phone, he saved the number into the contacts before hitting the call button. Putting the phone nervously to his ear, Daryl kicked off his boots and made his way back to the kitchen.

"Hello?" Her voice was soft when she answered, and Daryl nearly hung up after losing all his words. He was silent for a moment, as her voice spoke again. "Hello? I can hear breathin'."

"Hey, hey, sorry. It's Daryl." Daryl started to stutter his words, starting to think he should have texted her to begin with. He hadn't called a girl since he was in his late twenties, and normally then it was just for a hook up.

"Why hello there. Hold on a second." Her giggle was infectious and Daryl wanted to hear it more. It sounded like she was going up a set of stairs, before a door was shut suddenly. A loud meow met Daryl's ears from her end and he chuckled at the sound. "Hey, sorry we just got home. I see you got my number and note."

"Yea, by the way, what does that line mean?" Daryl asked as he started to prepare his dinner, her soft giggle met his ears once more.

"Life is full of surprises. A chance meeting or a large jet engine could come crashing through your room." He was able to hear the shrug in her voice. He caught the Donnie Darko reference and only shook his head smiling. "The whole world could blow up or a whole new evolution could be started changing our lives as we know it."

"That's not answerin' my question." Daryl laughed tossing the deer meat into a skillet, causing it to sizzle slightly. "Nice Donnie Darko reference by the way."

"One of my favorite movies. Let me apologize for my dad tonight real fast. He can get a little too over protective at times." Beth spoke, ignoring his joking comment. "So what you cookin'? I can hear the sizzlin'."

"A piece of deer meat, I was saving for myself." Daryl held the phone between his ear and shoulder and he picked Sugar up away from the stove and back in front of her bowl of cat food. "That is if my cat doesn' try and get to it before I can eat it."

"You have a cat? What's its name?" Beth's voice sounded excited, earning another loud meow in the background. "My kitten wants to know too."

"Have a cat and a dog. Cat's name Sugar Plum, Sugar for short. And my pit's name is Rosco." Daryl responded, pulling out some already diced garlic he had cut up from the previous night's meal, along with cut up onion and bell peppers to toss in to cook with the meat. "You just have a kitten? What's her name?"

"I have a kitten, and a horse. Greeley is my kitten's name and Elsa is my horse's." The meowing suddenly got loud on her end, and another laugh came through. "Greeley, mama's talkin' on the phone."

"You consider your pets kids too?"

"Well yea, I mean you are raising them. You are their caretaker, a parent to them in a way." He was able to hear her rustling around and a laptop chiming on as the conversation just started to flow. Daryl couldn't believe how easy it was to just talk to her, have a conversation with her, to get to know her. They talked for hours, before eventually falling asleep on the phone together, with only their breathing meeting each others ears.


	4. Chapter 4

**Let me thank my amazing Beta reader Carolina. You are amazing, and i love you. And to Mary and Jazz for kicking my butt to keep me going. I LOVE YOU GIRLS!**

* * *

"Tom Baker, classic Doctor Who. I'm jus' sayin'." Daryl couldn't contain his laughter as he bantered playfully with the young woman on the other end of the phone.

"Well, that's a straight given and a well-known thing. But I found I quite enjoyed Peter Davidson if you wanna talk old school. But new school, Tennant hands down." Her giggled was infectious, and he just wanted to hear it over and over. They had talked on the phone almost every night for nearly a month, and they had yet to run out of things to talk about. Sometimes they would even have the same conversation or debate three different times with the same outcome of them just laughing as their animals do something to distract them, steering the conversation to their favorite subject, their pets. Beth avoided topics pertaining to the meetings, where she couldn't so much as look at him let alone talk to him.

"Nah, Eccleston. He should have gone on longer. I mean don' get me wrong, Tennant is fuckin' amazin' and his time was legit, but Eccleston takes the cake when it comes to the Doctor. Smith is okay." Daryl shrugged as Sugar jumped into his lap, purring up a storm as he started to absentmindedly pet the white feline. Once settled into his lap, the cat started to lick his arm furiously as if trying to clean him. "Guess I wasn' clean enough?"

"What?" Beth couldn't stop the confused laugh from happening, and Daryl only could blush when he realized she couldn't see what he was meaning.

"Sugar, she's cleaning me. She won' stop lickin' my arm." Daryl smiled as he wiggled himself into a more comfortable position in the bed and not disturb the cat on his lap. Rosco was spread at the end of the bed, snoring. He continued to watch the cat as he kept trying to not talk himself out of what he wanted to ask her.

"Or maybe you taste good to her?"

"Maybe. Hey, so when are we gonna have that coffee?" Daryl pushed it out, knowing if he hadn't asked soon he never would. Her gig was only a few days away and he knew they would see each other then, but a part of him found he wanted to hang out with her a bit alone. They would talk on the phone every night, text and send random pet pictures to each other the whole time. He only saw her at the meetings though, never completely getting the courage to ask her to hang out some other time. The more he talked to her, the more he liked her. She called him out when she knew he was bullshitting her, and her voice was soothing enough to put him to sleep.

"Well, it all depends. When do you want to? I have a break between classes from noon til five; we can maybe meet up at my school? They have a little cafe right off campus we can go to." The older man wasn't sure, but he thought he had heard a bit of eagerness in her voice. Licking his bottom lip, he smiled down toward the blue eyed cat who then choose to lick his face.

"I'm free tomorrow afternoon. Just have to go meet with a friend about redoing his kitchen in the mornin', but I should be back from Kings County by one?" Daryl managed to get out, though most was mumbled to keep the cat from licking his teeth. When she moved to lick his nose, Daryl had to move her away from his face. "Sorry, this cat decided she wanted to clean my face."

"Greeley does that sometimes, mostly she cuddles." There was a loud meow in the background, letting the hunter know her cat was in the room with her. "And she also yells at you for no reason."

"Sugar does that. She does it mostly to Merle when he comes into my room." Daryl chuckled as Sugar laid her head onto his chest, purring happily. This was their ritual every night when Daryl would lay in bed. She would sleep on his chest, while Rosco at his feet. "She's more of a guard cat then Rosco is. Fuck, she bosses Rosco around."

"You never told me how you got her and Rosco." Beth's voice got soft and Daryl could hear the creaking of her bed; telling him she was getting ready for sleep. They would talk on the phone so much, that it was starting to get hard to not be on the phone with each other as they got ready for bed.

"Sugar was a kitten from an ex's cat. She was the smallest sickest kitten out of the four, and the mother started to reject her. Well, my stupid ex didn' care what happened to her, so I took her home and nursed her to health. I wasn' sure if she was gonna make it, but now three years later she is now laying flat on my chest as we speak." Daryl smiled down toward the sleeping cat, then to the pit down at his feet. Rosco had woken at some point and had moved so he was laying next to the older man, staring at him with his big brown eyes. "Rosco I bought from a breeder right after I got this place. He was the first puppy to run up to me, then he peed on me when I picked him up."

"He peed on you?!" He blushed slightly when he heard a string of giggles burst through the other end. "Was that your sign?"

"Not at first," Daryl moved his hand from the cat to the top of Rosco's large head. "I was lookin' at this female after him when I noticed he was being bullied by the other puppies. He tried to fight back, but he got over powered by at least three of them. Choose him without a second thought. He came home with me the same day, and been by my side since."

"That is so sweet of you. Daddy had gotten Greeley for me and mama before she died." Beth started her story, and Daryl was able to hear a hint of sadness in her voice. "Daddy hoped she would be able to life mama's spirits, maybe motivate her to not give up. It wasn' enough, but she managed to give us a bit more time with my mom. Ever since she passed, Greeley won' step foot into my parent's room, as if even as a kitten she knows."

"She does." Daryl voice was soft as he spoke. "Animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit. They can sense emotions, and loss. She probably still smells her lingering, and it saddens her."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

* * *

Daryl nervously checked his phone's time as he searched for a parking place in the busy parking lot. He had gotten a text from her earlier that day while he was in King's County to just meet her at the cafe and that she'll be saving them a table. The appointment in King's County with his friend Rick to redo his kitchen wound up going later than he had originally planned. He wanted to surprise his wife for their 18th anniversary by redoing their kitchen like she had wanted, and the two men got so into swapping ideas for the room, they had lost track of time. It was now nearing almost one twenty when he managed to pull into the first empty place he had found.

The cafe wasn't as packed as its parking lot, and Daryl was surprised at how laid back the whole layout was. It wasn't really a cafe at all, more like a rec center for all the college students as Daryl finally made it inside. There were several different kinds of arcade games, a pool table, with computers lining the back wall. There were a few booths and tables scattered through the rest of the building. There were a few students in different places of the building, most studying or at one of the many gaming machines. It wasn't hard for him to find the blonde in one of the back booths, headphones in and her eyes fixated on her laptop with a book open next to her, looking engrossed in her work. This was a relief for the older man to see that she wasn't sitting there with nothing else to do, but wait for him as he made his way toward the young woman.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Daryl smiled as he pulled one of the ear buds from her ears, taking a seat across from her in the booth. She had her hair in her famous messy pony, with an overly large sweater from what he was able to see. She wore light make up on her face, but not enough to mask her natural beauty that radiated off her. She only flashed him one of her dazzling smiles, removing the other ear bud from her ears. She did something on her laptop, before shutting it and the book next to it. "It's my friend's wedding anniversary, and he wanted to redo the kitchen for her as a gift. She had been bugging him for it."

"It's all good; I managed to get a head start on one of my midterms." She then stood, and motioned toward the serving counter. "How you like your coffee?"

"Oh no no." Daryl laughed as he stood himself, pushing the blonde back into the booth. "I am getting the drinks this time. So how do you like _your_ coffee?"

"I'd like Carmel Macchiato with an extra shot of espresso." The smile that came across her lips when she saw him, never once left her lips as she blushed slightly.

"Gotcha." Daryl smiled as he went to order their drinks, even purchasing them each a pastry to go with their drinks. Handing the clerk a twenty, he turned to look toward the table where the blonde waited for him as he waited for his change; her eyes looking off, as if she left the world for a moment with her face relaxed but blank. Retrieving his change, he waited for their drinks and food to be ready, his blue eyes never leaving the blonde who had quickly snapped out of her trance and was now playing with her nails. He already knew that he liked her more than he should, finding himself growing attached to her voice and her laugh. He almost couldn't sleep at night unless she was on the other end of the line, and would find himself checking his phone often through the work day for a possible text from her; even if it was just a random picture of one of her pets or her just ranting about her class. He almost didn't hear his name being called, while he started to shoot down any hope she was interested in him back, letting him know their order was ready. Balancing the pastries on top of the traveling carrier they had given him to carry their drinks Daryl made his way back toward the table. Beth stood quickly when she noticed he was making his way back toward her and took the pastries from the top of the carrier and the two sat back down.

"Oh you got me a pastry. I must be special." Beth teased him, as he handed her coffee which she took happily. Daryl watched her as she just automatically made little make shift plates with napkins for both their pastries.

"You can' have coffee without something to eat with it!" Daryl joked back as she placed his blueberry muffin onto the napkin in front of him, before placing her own muffin in front of her. He blushed brightly as he looked down toward his hands. "Besides you can' smoke in here, and nothing beats coffee and a smoke."

"Well, we could go outside and have a smoke. There are tables out there." Beth suggested and the older man looked up from his hands to watch her put her laptop in her bag along with the book before standing. Daryl was able to see she had on a pair of tight yoga leggings with her signature boots on. She was every bit of a college student in her relaxed attire. "I like the way the coffee smells while it brews, that's why I wasn't waiting out there. But I been dying for a smoke."

The two gathered their things before exiting from a side door out to a covered patio. It had one of those photo booths against the wall with two more arcade games placed against the wall next to the door. The patio was completely empty of people but the two as they found a seat against the railing; the moment Daryl sat his drink and muffin down, his hand was in his pocket to pull out his pack. Retrieving two cigarettes he handed one to the blonde before placing the other between his lips, before taking his lighter out to light hers before his. Taking a seat in the chair across from Beth, the hunter dropped his pack of smokes onto the table. He took a deep inhale of his smoke, before blowing the smoke out to take a drink of his black coffee.

"Now this is how you enjoy coffee." Daryl lifted his drink toward her, and the blonde only giggled all while enjoying her own smoke. Taking small sips of her drink, Beth watched Daryl as he looked over toward the arcade machines and photo booth. "How the fuck does anyone get any studyin' done here. I wouldn' be able to concentrate for shit with all these games."

"It's actually easier when you come in alone. Come in with friends or a study group, you can just kiss any kind of work being done goodbye. I always wind up playin' pac-man instead of studying most times. If this midterm paper wasn' so damn important, I would have been in there beating the high score on it." Daryl could only stare at the girl as she spoke, was she bragging almost? This girl continued to amaze him as she flicked the ash into an ashtray that was already provided on the table. "On rainy days though, this patio is the best place to come to study. It's so peaceful out here with a nice cup of coffee, slightly numbing the dread of the finals that are breathing down your neck."

Daryl didn't know how to reply to what she had to say; he dropped out of high school his junior year and only had gotten his GED when he was almost thirty. He never thought about going back to school since it never really was his thing, despite his decent grades when he did attend. He remembered the way she had just accepted that decision for him when he had initially told her his views on school, and didn't give him a lecture about how school is important to get anywhere in life. The older man had gotten to a comfortable place without a lot of education. Instead he only watched the woman before him take another drink of her coffee, taking her time with her smoke. The two suddenly becoming almost shy around each other, slipping into a comfortable silence. It was when Beth did some silly trick with the smoke that Daryl had to break the silence.

"You know how to do the French inhale?" Daryl laughed while the blonde put out her smoke. His cigarette had been out long before hers.

"That's the only one I can do. I am not very good at the rings and all that." Beth blushed, before she suddenly stood with her hand outreached. "Come on; let's play some of these games."

Daryl only stared at her hand for a moment, before looking up toward her smiling face. Her blue eyes shined brighter than her smile did and Daryl took the blonde's hand as he stood, grabbing his coffee before she pulled them away from their table. Her hand molded to his in a perfect way, and his hand nearly was on fire from her touch; it made him wonder if she felt it too, but the younger woman didn't make any motion she felt anything pulling him toward a mortal combat machine. When she let go of his hand to search through her bag for quarters, Daryl hoped she didn't notice him staring down at the hand she just let go of; it was still warm from her touch. Beth gave him a quick hip bump, causing him to snap his head up to look at her, while she dropped a few quarters into his palm that she was holding. There was a small blush meeting her cheeks letting him know that she noticed how he was acting.

"Girl, you're in trouble if you think you can take me on in this. I am unbeatable." Daryl laughed as he motioned his hand toward the machine, trying to play it off cool moving toward the machine. He slipped the quarters into the machine, shooting her a playful smirk as the two picked their characters.

"Please, I'm reigning champion here. I'm unbeatable." Beth playfully hip bumped him, and the hunter's face lit up in a bright blush. Neither was lying about how good they were, most the rounds they played coming up a draw. Daryl had never laughed so hard with someone while they shot each other playful banters, until Beth managed to get in the right combo and win a match finally. The blonde shot her arms up in the air as she did a small victory dance, as she playfully bragged. "Oh yea, what? what I tell ya? what what? I win. ha-ha."

"Yea, don' do that." Daryl laughed, unable to take his eyes off her proud smile. She sounded silly, but Daryl couldn't help but find it absolutely adorable and her smile sent chills down his spine. "I let you win, anyways."

"Oh, please. You're just sayin' that cause I beat ya." Beth giggled, and the two alternated from playing the arcade games to enjoying a smoke back at their table, giving them a break between matches. The time between them seemed to have flown by, when they finally found their way into the photo booth at Beth's insistence. "Now you have to smile on at least one of the picture. Rest let's make silly faces."

"Deal." Daryl laughed as the blonde suddenly maneuvered herself so she was sitting on his lap while the pictures were being taken. This took the hunter by surprised, forcing him to try and will away the growing discomfort in his pants as her bottom settled on his knee. He awkwardly placed his hand on her lower back as the two started to make silly faces into the camera. One, Daryl was sure of just them laughing; before the final one was the one Beth wanted them to smile in. The hunter didn't often show a real smile, having most be sneering smirks, or ghosts of ones; he hadn't shown a real smile since before his mother died until that moment. He hadn't stopped smiling since he met Beth, she never gave him a chance to not smile in the whole time they had talked and gotten to know each other.

"Oh my God, these are so cute." Beth spoke happily after they climbed out of the booth together. She snatched up the photos before Daryl had a chance to see them. She ripped the strip through the middle leaving her with three and him with three. The ones she had given him were of a few faces they were making and one where she was leaning close to him while they were both laughing. Her hand was against her lip, but Daryl was able to see her dazzling smile through her hands. He noticed his head was leaning close to hers, his mouth contorted into a laughing smile. Pulling out his wallet, Daryl separated the photos from each other, and slipped them into the small photo part of his wallet; each picture having its slot. "Well don' I feel special."

"What you talkin' about?" Daryl asked noticing the blush on her cheeks as he slipped his wallet back into his pocket.

"I'm wallet material." Beth laughed as she pulled her phone out to check the time. "Shit, I'm gonna be late for class if I don' go now. I'll call you when I get home tonight?"

"I should be home." Daryl laughed as she hurried for a small gate at the other end for of the cafe patio. She stopped and turned to look toward him, a smile spread wide on her face.

"See you at the show Thursday night?" Beth called out, and Daryl only smirked.

"Wouldn' miss it for the world."

* * *

The bar was filled with people when Daryl arrived that night of Beth's gig. The bar was an all ages venue on the weekdays for gigs, and kept it exclusive twenty one and over on the weekends. Daryl knew this bar since it was the first bar he was ever kicked out of in his younger days. Granted it was all thanks to Merle, but Daryl could have handled the situation better that night as well. The place had changed since he was last there, making his way toward the bar to order himself a beer. Leaning against the bar, Daryl looked over toward the stage that was being set up. He was able to see Beth laughing with a group of guys and a girl who were all helping set up for the show that night. She had on a form fitting long camouflage colored skirt, with a black tank top on top. She had her hair down in her loose curls. The lights on the stage were dimmed, but she still glowed and stood out to Daryl.

Once he had his beer, he made his way closer toward the stage taking a seat at the only table that wasn't occupied. The group was making their way off stage, leaving Beth to take her guitar and start her sound check. The show was about to start in less than half an hour as Daryl listened to the blonde talk into the mic to the sound guy; a smile never leaving her lips the whole time. The sound check went smoothly, and the lights on the stage lit up. Daryl straightened in his seat more, his eyes unable to leave the way she looked like an angel under the stage lighting. Several people cheered as the young blonde laughed into the mic shyly. She scanned the crowd before landing on Daryl, her smile only getting bigger.

"Good evening everyone." Beth spoke into the mic, it was clear she was introducing the bands for the night as well. "I hope you all are ready for some amazing music." There were cat calls and clapping showing the crowds interest, Beth's smile only got wider as she started to play with the strings of her guitar. "This song is something I wrote a while back. It's one of my favorites to perform too."

The blonde started to play this beautiful melody on her acoustic and the whole crowd was silent as she moved her lips to the mic and started to sing softly:

_"Nobody likes us at this party_

_Nobody likes us on this couch  
_

_We can't stop eating the candy  
_

_We can stop making out  
_

_The girl in the corner knows the story about the first night we met_

_She keeps asking "Why aren't you together yet?"_

Daryl's jaw dropped when the lyrics started to flow from the young blonde. He couldn't believe the talent that flowed from her, from the melody she was playing down to the lyrics of the song. She looked free and happy up on the stage, her eyes were brighter than usual the look of pure enjoyment fall over her beautiful feature. Daryl could listen to her all the time if he could. Her lyrics flowed through him, and before he knew it he was imagining them doing exactly what her song was singing about.

_"So, let's get married tonight, once we've drank all the wine  
_

_Would you marry me and always be mine_

_It's such a nice night in Brooklyn, and we shouldn't be alone_

_Let's get married, baby, married and go home  
_

_Let's get married, baby, married and go home"_

Her song ended, and there was a loud roar of clapping through the bar. Daryl clapped his hands along with them, continuing to watch her as she sang a few more songs of her own. He didn't realize he was already falling for the blonde, enjoying everything about her. Even within the back of his mind Merle and Hershel's words never really left him, he already knew he was in too deep to heed their warnings. She had already dug herself into his skin the moment she looked at him with those bright blue eyes of hers.

"I'm gonna leave you all with one more song. It's a cover from the amazing Waxahatchee." Beth started to absentmindedly playing a random tune on her guitar as she spoke before leading it into the beginning cords to the song as a few of the group of guys she was helping earlier came onto the stage to take their places at their designated instrument. "With the help of my wonderful friends from All the Signs. I think it's a very fitting song for something that recently happened in my life. I hope the song will make it clear."

The band all started to play as she led them into the song, her eyes falling onto Daryl's seat as she started to sing the lyrics, as if she was singing it to him.

_"It's unclear now what we intend  
_

_We're alone in our own world  
_

_You don't wanna be my boyfriend  
_

_And I don't wanna be your girl_

_And that, that's a relief_

_We'll drink up our grief_

_And pine for summer  
_

_And we'll buy beer to shotgu_

_And we'll lay in the lawn  
_

_And we'll be good"_

Daryl listened to the words carefully, beginning to wonder if she was really singing toward him. Her eyes were closed as she put her lips back up toward the mic, her voice softer than before.

_"Now I'm laughing at my boredom_

_At my string of failed attempts_

_Because you think that it's importan_

_And I welcome the sentiment_

_And we talk on the phone at night  
_

_Until it's daylight_

_And I feel clever_

_And I hear the slow in your speech_

_Yeah, you're half asleep_

_Say goodnight  
_

_Now I've got friendships to mend_

_I'm selfishly dispossessed_

_You don't wanna be my boyfriend_

_And that's probably for the best_

_Because that, that gets messy_

_And you will hurt me_

_Or I'll disappear_

_So we will drink beer all day_

_And our guards will give way_

_And we'll be good"_

As the song ended, Beth backed from the mic looking down at her guitar. Her head suddenly snapped up to a wide smile and bowed toward the crowd, her smile wide as she waved toward Daryl's table. She flashed him a private smile though; only one that Daryl was able to read while she pulled the strap of her guitar over her head. Returning to the mic, she pushed a bit of sweat from her brow. "Thank you all for coming, and supporting the arts. All the Signs will be up shortly."

She hurried off the stage, and Daryl began to stand to find her. He decided against it, knowing she will find him after the show. The rest of the bands were good, nothing Daryl was actually into; instead his thoughts were on the young blonde and the lyrics to her song still playing in his head. Was she really singing about him or was it all in his mind? The pessimistic side of him started to rear its negative head, and started to convince him it was all in his head. There was no way Beth would be interested in him as more than a friend, leaving the hunter to wonder if he was seeing signs that weren't actually there. His beer was long gone by the time the last note was played by the final band. Everyone clapped loudly as the band headed off stage.

"Hey!" Beth's voice suddenly spoke up from behind Daryl. He nearly jumped out of his seat as he whirled around to see the blonde slipping into the chair beside him. She looked even more beautiful up close then when she was up on the stage. "Did you like the show?"

"Yea, the music was good." Daryl nodded, as he blushed looking at his empty beer mug. "You were amazin' up there. A lot more courage than I would have."

"It's pretty fuckin' scary, but I love it." Beth laughed touching his arm. "Adam, from All the Signs is having something back at his place for the band, and a few friends. You wanna be my date?"

"I gotta be up pretty early." Daryl instantly started to regret his decision when he saw her face fall but still managed to force a sad smile toward him. "Rick and I are gonna go over the costs and give him the complete estimate."

"Oh, well that's a shame. Would've been fun with you there." Beth nodded as she withdrew her hand from his arm, deciding against looking at him. The two stood, and Beth only smiled. "Well, I'll text you then. Thank you for coming. Glad we can be good."

With that she walked away quickly toward the group of men and another blonde as Daryl started toward the door. Searching his pockets for his smokes, he stopped at the door of the bar before turning to look back toward the blonde who was talking with the others of the group. Daryl nearly slapped himself when he realized that was his shot, she had given him an opening and he missed it. She did like him back, and that was his chance. Looking back to his hand ready to push open the door, he let go backing up slightly. Turning toward the group, Daryl made a straight beeline for the young blonde, deciding to do this before he lost his nerve. Grabbing the blonde's wrist, Daryl twisted her around and pulled her to him. Beth's eyes were widening in shock when his hands cupped her face, kissing her soundly on the lips.

The blonde instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, as she deepened the kiss. Her group of friends cheered jokingly toward the two as they broke away; both unable to hide the blushes on their face. Backing away, Daryl saw that she had a wide smile on her face as he took her hand.

"Is that invitation still open?" Daryl asked his face hurting from how much he was smiling.

"Of course." Beth giggled; as she pulled him toward the group of she was with. "Guys, this is Daryl. My date for tonight. Daryl meet the gang."


End file.
